A study has found that great white sharks can’t tell the difference between their typical prey and humans on surfboards. The results of the study suggest that some shark attacks are simply cases of mistaken identity. White sharks are often portrayed as ‘mindless killers’ and ‘fond of human flesh,’ however, this does not seem to be the case, we just look like their food, Laura Ryan, Macquarie University in Australia. The researchers compared underwater videos of seals, sea lions and humans swimming in different ways. They then applied filters to the videos to simulate the way a young shark would see the shapes of different objects. It was found that humans who swim or paddle on surfboards look a lot like seals in the eyes of a young white shark. Understanding why shark bites occur can help us find ways to prevent them, while keeping both humans and sharks safer, Laura Ryan, Macquarie University in Australia